Australia secretly ships F-35 jet parts to Israel amid Gaza genocide, leaks reveal
Press TV – October 1, 2025
Leaked documents reveal that Australia has exported multiple F-35 fighter jet components directly to Israel, bypassing global supply hubs, even as Israel’s military continues its genocidal campaign in Gaza.
Declassified Australia published a report on Wednesday saying detailed shipping records reveal a total of 68 shipments of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter components flown from Australia to Israel on commercial passenger planes between October 2023 and September 2025.
The most recent shipment departed Sydney two weeks ago, carried in the cargo hold of a scheduled passenger flight bound for Tel Aviv, the report said.
According to the documents, direct shipments from Australia spiked immediately after Israel unleashed its genocidal campaign on Gaza on October 7, 2023, with 10 separate shipments sent in November 2023 alone.
Of the 68 documented shipments, 51 were destined for Nevatim Airbase in Israel’s Negev desert, home to the Israeli military’s three F-35 squadrons, the report stated.
The actual number of shipments may be even higher, with at least another 24 parts matching previous export approvals being sent during the same period.
The latest shipment, sent in mid-September 2025, contained an “Inlet Lube Plate” for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Shipping records show the export was classified as “Military Goods – Aircraft parts,” highlighting the direct military support Australia is providing for the Israeli regime.
The shipment left Sydney for Tel Aviv just 24 hours after a United Nations investigation had concluded that “Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute genocide.”
Despite mounting evidence of direct F-35 parts shipments being supplied from Australian bases to Israel, the government has repeatedly claimed that it “has not supplied weapons or ammunition to Israel since the conflict began and for at least the past five years.”
The revelation comes less than two weeks after Australia, along with Britain and Canada, formally recognized Palestinian statehood.
International human rights groups have constantly warned that sending weapons or military components to Israel makes states complicit in the regime’s genocide in Gaza.
Activists report aggressive Israeli cyber, physical harassment as flotilla nears Gaza
Press TV – October 1, 2025
Activists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla say they are facing aggressive harassment by Israeli warships as they approach Gaza to break the illegal naval blockade and deliver much-needed humanitarian aid.
The lead vessel, Alma, was deliberately encircled and subjected to communication blackouts early Wednesday, forcing its captain to take evasive maneuvers while Israeli forces continued their intimidation tactics against other ships in the flotilla.
“This was one of the biggest acts of harassment we have faced so far. They tried to scare us, but we weren’t afraid, and we told them we would not be afraid,” Metehan Sari, a Turkish activist aboard the Alma, was quoted as saying by Anadolu news agency.
Sari said that the Israeli navy ships came within 5 to 10 meters of the Alma.
Zeynel Abidin Ozkan, another activist aboard Adagio, said drones were flying “intensively” over their fleet overnight and that at around 5am, two ships which weren’t a part of the flotilla approached them and “launched a cyberattack on the GPS and internet database of the Alma, one of our fleet’s main vessels, cutting off our communication with the ship”.
Another flotilla vessel, the Sirius, also experienced interference. Lisi Proenca, aboard Sirius, said an Israeli naval ship circled her vessel for about 15 minutes, jamming communications and causing tension and fear among the crew. Members of the crew later demonstrated they were unarmed.
Despite these hostile actions, the flotilla comprised of over 40 boats and 500 activists, including prominent international figures such as Italian politicians and climate activist Greta Thunberg, remains undeterred in its mission to challenge the Zionist regime’s suffocating siege on Gaza.
The official page for the Global Sumud Flotilla said the fleet is now 118 nautical miles from Gaza, which it notes is 8 nautical miles from where Madleen, a flotilla which was launched in June this year, was intercepted.
Maritime traffic data is also showing that several vessels from the flotilla are approaching Egyptian territorial waters.
In a Telegram post it said: “We remain committed to non-violence and to creating a People’s Humanitarian Corridor – a lifeline for Gaza. The international community has entrusted us with this mission, and we will not fail.”
The harassment reflects Israel’s ongoing efforts to prevent any aid from reaching the Palestinian people, who have endured months of devastating blockade and violence.
Communications systems on multiple vessels were jammed, and cameras disabled during the Israeli naval maneuvers, cutting off crucial documentation and real-time updates from the flotilla.
The activists have already passed the 120-nautical mile mark, defying repeated Israeli warnings.
International condemnation of Israel’s blockade and military harassment continues to grow, with countries like Italy and Spain criticizing the recent attacks on the flotilla, which included drone strikes and explosions.
Israel’s baseless claims labeling the flotilla as a Hamas operation serve only to justify its ongoing repression.
Explainer: How is Trump’s 20-point Gaza ‘plan’ dangerously tilted in Israel’s favor
By Hamid Javadi | Press TV | October 1, 2025
US President Donald Trump on Monday unveiled a 20-point proposal for post-war Gaza that is dangerously skewed in favor of the Israeli regime and ignores Palestinian realities.
At its core, the plan demands Hamas disarm within 72 hours of a ceasefire, release all captives, and accept a phased Israeli troop withdrawal.
But here’s the catch: there’s no binding commitment to end the military occupation, no clear roadmap for Palestinian sovereignty or right to self-determination of Palestinians and no guarantee that Israel won’t resume its genocidal aggression once its captives are returned.
The much-hyped “plan” that has been welcomed by a group of Muslim countries demands Palestinian surrender without offering sovereignty, envisions the so-called economic development built on displacement, and leaves the door open for continued Israeli occupation.
Trump, who has long eyed Gaza as waterfront property on the Mediterranean, touted the proposal as “a peace plan,” but beneath its diplomatic gloss lies a blueprint that has been designed keeping in view long-term Israeli and American interests.
Under the deal, Israel would release over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 serving life sentences, in exchange for all 48 Israeli captives held by Hamas — both living and deceased — within 72 hours of a ceasefire taking effect.
How does Hamas or Palestinians appear in Trump’s plan?
The proposal, which has grabbed headlines in world media in the past two days, calls for the Hamas resistance movement to relinquish all governing roles in Gaza and lay down its weapons, a condition the group has previously ruled out unless a sovereign Palestinian state is established and the aspirations of Palestinians are taken into account.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he agreed to the plan at a press conference with Trump at the White House on Monday, even as Israeli regime forces continued to rain down bombs on Palestinians across Gaza.
However, speaking to Israeli media later, Netanyahu ruled out the military withdrawal, saying that it “is not going to happen.” It came even before Hamas’ official reaction to the plan.
Hamas’s negotiating team said it was studying the plan. However, a Hamas official told Reuters that Trump’s proposal was “completely biased to Israel” and imposed “impossible conditions” that aimed to eliminate the resistance group, a longtime objective of Netanyahu.
“What Trump has proposed is the full adoption of all Israeli conditions, which do not grant the Palestinian people or the residents of the Gaza Strip any legitimate rights,” the Palestinian official said on condition of anonymity.
While Hamas has frequently said it would welcome any initiative that ends the genocidal war on Gaza — which has killed more than 66,000 since October 2023, mostly women and children — it has every reason to be skeptical.
Last time Hamas leaders were reviewing Trump’s proposal for a ceasefire, Israeli warplanes bombed their headquarters in Qatar, a key mediator in negotiations between the Palestinian resistance movement and the Tel Aviv regime.
So, while Netanyahu has endorsed Trump’s new proposal, he has rejected the only two terms in the plan that could give Hamas a reason to accept the deal: the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces (though conditional and gradual) and the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state.
What does the plan say about Israeli occupation?
A day after he gave his backing to Trump’s plan, Netanyahu said Israeli forces would remain in most of Gaza.
“We will recover all our hostages, alive and well, while the (Israeli military) will remain in most of the Gaza Strip,” he said in a video statement on Tuesday.
This isn’t the only point of friction. Netanyahu also said he would never allow the creation of a Palestinian state, yet the White House document includes language about a “credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood” if the deal is fully implemented.
“It’s not written in the agreement,” Netanyahu claimed, saying that Israel would “strongly oppose” such a move. He insisted that Trump shared this view.
This is a nonstarter for Palestinians. As Ziyad al-Nakhalah, leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, put it, “Israel is trying to impose through the United States what it was unable to achieve through war.”
What does Netanyahu want in Gaza?
Netanyahu appears to be trying to have it both ways: Publicly embracing the deal to pressure Hamas, while privately rejecting its most fundamental terms.
It’s a familiar tactic. The Israeli prime minister, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, has a track record of endorsing negotiations and ceasefire proposals, and at the same time making contradictory statements to kill the momentum.
Captive families, humanitarian groups, and even some Israeli regime officials have accused Netanyahu of prolonging the war for political gains. Hamas says the Israeli prime minister has used negotiations as a smokescreen for continued genocide in Gaza.
In February, Israel kept stalling the second phase of a ceasefire agreement that had already begun by violating terms related to troop withdrawal and humanitarian aid delivery.
Trump’s latest proposal does not address the root causes of the protracted issue — namely, the occupation and the apartheid oppression of the Palestinian people.
How does Trump’s plan address displacement?
The plan is largely driven by Trump’s desire to build a Dubai-style wonderland on the wasteland of Gaza. Though the plan claims “no one will be forced to leave Gaza,” Trump’s vision for Gaza — as publicly announced in the past — is premised on the forced displacement of the native populace.
The more Palestinians are forcibly removed from their land, the cheaper the project becomes to implement.
A reconstruction and economic blueprint for Gaza, published by The Washington Post, estimates that $23,000 will be saved for every Palestinian who leaves.
Trump had previously floated the idea that he would send the US military into Gaza to clear the territory of its residents by force if necessary. Those remarks sparked a fierce global backlash.
The White House text says, “a Trump economic development plan to rebuild and energize Gaza will be created by convening a panel of experts who have helped birth some of the thriving modern miracle cities in the Middle East.”
“A special economic zone will be established, with preferred tariff and access rates to be negotiated with participating countries,” it specifies.
What is the role of Tony Blair in Trump’s plan?
That’s where former British Prime Minister Tony Blair also enters the frame. As part of Trump’s plan, Gaza will be governed by “a temporary technocratic committee,” made up of Palestinians and international experts, supervised by a new transitional body called the “Board of Peace.”
That board will be headed and chaired by Trump himself, with other members and heads of state, including Blair.
Blair is back in business once again, nearly two decades after he presented a 34-page document that outlined a “corridor for peace and prosperity,” which envisioned an agro-industrial park in the occupied West Bank.
Blair promised at the time that more such packages would be unveiled over time. He was forced to resign from office later largely as a result of the Iraq War. He has reportedly been advising the White House about Trump’s latest plan for Gaza.
Blair has reportedly been in contact with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to work out the details. His role in Trump’s plans for Gaza has been criticized by Palestinians and advocates for Palestinian rights across the world.
Earlier this year, the Tony Blair Institute supported a “Trump Riviera” and an “Elon Musk Smart Manufacturing Zone” as part of a post-war plan for Gaza.
The plan included paying half a million Palestinians to leave their homelands to create room for private investors to develop Gaza into a money-making tourist hub.
What did Trump tell Hamas?
Trump issued an ultimatum of “three to four days” to Hamas on Tuesday to respond to his proposal. The US president threatened that he would let Israel “go and do what they have to do” in Gaza if Hamas rejects the deal.
“They could do it pretty easily,” he claimed.
Hamas is still reviewing the proposal. But with Netanyahu signaling that Israel won’t accept the deal’s core conditions, the path to peace remains as murky as ever.
Trump’s Gaza Plan: A Peace Proposal or a Political Cover for Occupation?
By Abbas Hashemite – New Eastern Outlook – October 1, 2025
President Trump has recently proposed a new peace plan for Gaza. However, the biased stipulations, although accepted by major Muslim powers, show that this proposal is anything but a peace plan.
The Reality of Israeli Occupation and Genocide
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have been committing war crimes and genocide in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023. However, the occupation of the Palestinian territory by the Zionist state has been underway for decades. For years, some regional resistance forces, such as Hamas, have been fighting the occupation of the IDF. Since October 7, this resistance has increased manifold. The IDF has also unleashed unimaginable horrors in the Gaza Strip in the last two years. The Western nations, including the United States, had been supporting the Israeli government in its genocidal operations in Gaza. However, due to the growing public pressure, many Western nations have altered their approach towards the Israel-Hamas war. Most of the Israeli supporters have conditionally recognized the state of Palestine.
Trump’s Peace Proposal: A One-Sided Agreement
In a recent move, US President Donald Trump has also announced a new peace proposal for Gaza. This new proposal has been accepted by most of the Muslim and Arab nations. However, the citizens of these countries are against this agreement and equate this to accepting Israel’s occupation of Gaza and blaming Hamas for the years of Israeli aggression in the strip. President Trump’s proposal states, “Gaza will be a deradicalised terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors”—implying that the Palestinian resistance groups are terrorist organizations and pose a threat to Israel. However, reality is quite contrary. The history of Israeli war crimes and its occupation of Palestinian territories predates the October 7 attack by Hamas. For decades, the Israeli government has been illegally occupying the Palestinian lands and illegally detaining the native Palestinians to occupy the Palestinian territory and achieve its “Greater Israel” ambition.
Historical events, facts, and figures of international human rights organizations suggest that the only terrorist organization in the region is the IDF. In the past two years, the Zionist state has attacked several regional countries and has also conducted assassinations of Iranian military officials in Syria and Tehran, along with Ismail Haniyeh, a prominent Hamas leader. Moreover, the Zionist state also disrupted all the previous ceasefire negotiations. Earlier this month, Israel conducted airstrikes on the Hamas negotiation team in Doha to disrupt the peace process, reflecting Israel’s ambition to perpetuate the war.
Moreover, this peace proposal favors Israel by asking Hamas to surrender unconditionally. It asks Hamas to give up all the Israeli hostages and its weapons, rendering it defenseless against the Zionist state. The lack of trust between the two sides makes this proposal ineffective, as the Hamas leadership has not been invited to negotiate the terms of the peace plan, making it a one-sided plan. This also suggests that the IDF has failed against the Hamas fighters. Therefore, it seeks for them to surrender unconditionally. However, in reality, the IDF, which shoots kids in the head and snipes doctors and medical workers, is the entity that should be demilitarized and de-radicalized.
Peace Without Justice Is No Peace
Another stipulation of the plan states, “Once all hostages are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommissioning their weapons will be given amnesty. Members of Hamas who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries.” This also indirectly accuses Hamas of igniting and prolonging the war in Gaza, ignoring the indiscriminate bombing of the IDF on Palestinian civilians, resulting in the deaths of thousands of children and women. Moreover, this statement portrays Hamas as an obstacle in the path of peaceful coexistence in the region. However, scores of evidence suggest that it is the Zionist government and ideology that make peaceful coexistence impossible.
President Trump’s proposed plan names Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister of the UK, known for his war crimes in Iraq during the US-led invasion and occupation of the country, as a member of the “Board of Peace”—a body that will “set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza.” This further reveals the seriousness of the Trump administration to establish peace in the Middle East. In addition, it once again exposes the reality that the West stands with the aggressors and war criminals. Trump’s peace plan is also nothing more than a favor to Israeli occupation and an end to the idea of the creation of a Palestinian state.
Trump’s proposal and its acceptance by a large number of Arab and Muslim nations is a success for the Zionist state. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu states, “Instead of Hamas leading to our isolation, we turned the tables and isolated Hamas. Now the entire world, including the Arab and Muslim world, is pressuring Hamas to accept the conditions we set together with President Trump: to release all our abducted—both living and dead—while the IDF remains in most of the territory.” Indeed, the acceptance of this peace proposal by the Muslim states is a betrayal to the Palestinian cause. The proposal holds that if Hamas rejects this plan, Israel will be free to do whatever it wants in Gaza, implying that the Zionist state will be allowed to annex and occupy Gaza.
Overall, President Trump’s proposed peace plan has many loopholes and is entirely at odds with the ground realities. Any peace plan that does not involve actual stakeholders is bound to fail. Hamas is unlikely to accept the proposal, as it favors Israel and rejects all the UN resolutions by defying the right of self-determination of the Palestinian people. For a real and practical peace proposal, all the stakeholders, including Hamas, must be consulted. Moreover, the peace plan must not favor any side and should be in accordance with international law and UN resolutions. Otherwise, this enforcement will lead to more chaos and violence in the region.
Аbbas Hashemite is a political observer and research analyst for regional and global geopolitical issues. He is currently working as an independent researcher and journalist.
‘Israel’ pays influencers $7K per post to whitewash Gaza genocide
Al Mayadeen | October 1, 2025
Responsible Statecraft on Wednesday published an investigative report uncovering how the Israeli government is secretly bankrolling a vast social media influence campaign, paying Western content creators thousands of dollars per post to launder pro-“Israel” propaganda online as Palestinian civilians continue to be massacred in Gaza.
The investigation, authored by Nick Cleveland-Stout, reveals that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally endorsed the effort, urging Israeli officials and media allies to coordinate messaging through paid influencers.
“We have to fight back. How do we fight back? Our influencers. I think you should also talk to them if you have a chance, to that community, they are very important,” Netanyahu said at a closed-door meeting Friday, openly acknowledging the regime’s strategy to shape public opinion through paid social media figures.
According to US filings under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), “Israel’s” Ministry of Foreign Affairs contracted Bridge Partners, a Washington DC-based lobbying and public relations firm, to manage the covert operation, codenamed the “Esther Project.” The project, coordinated with Havas Media Group Germany, carries a budget of $900,000, spanning June to November 2025.
After subtracting legal and administrative costs, approximately $552,946 was allocated for direct influencer payments between June and September. With 75 to 90 paid posts projected in that timeframe, each influencer could be earning between $6,100 and $7,300 per post, effectively turning social media feeds into a battlefield of paid Israeli state messaging.
Neither Havas nor Bridge Partners responded to questions from reporters seeking clarity on which influencers were hired or what guidelines governed their content.
State-funded disinformation during genocide
The documents show the operation was deliberately routed through US intermediaries to conceal direct Israeli sponsorship, allowing Tel Aviv to flood Western platforms like TikTok and Instagram with state-crafted narratives while evading transparency laws.
Bridge Partners’ co-founders, Yair Levi and Uri Steinberg, each hold a 50 percent stake in the firm. Among their senior advisors is Nadav Shtrauchler, a former Israeli army Spokesperson Unit major, a division notorious for whitewashing Israeli war crimes and manipulating wartime coverage.
For legal counsel, the firm hired Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, a US law firm previously linked to NSO Group, the spyware company behind Pegasus, which has been used to surveil journalists, activists, and Palestinian human rights defenders.
The “Esther Project” represents a new frontier in “Israel’s” propaganda machine, weaponizing Western influencer culture to sanitize a campaign that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, mostly women and children, under what UN investigators have deemed acts of genocide.
Digital warfare and Western complicity
The name “Esther Project” bears resemblance to the Heritage Foundation’s “Project Esther”, a US initiative that seeks to brand critics of “Israel” as antisemites or terrorist sympathizers. While no formal link has been proven, both efforts reflect a shared strategy: criminalize solidarity with Palestine while amplifying pro-“Israel” voices through digital media manipulation.
Analysts warn that such state-funded disinformation campaigns not only distort reality but also exploit Western audiences’ ignorance, turning popular culture and lifestyle platforms into tools of psychological warfare.
“We have to fight back,” Netanyahu told his aides, a statement critics say lays bare the government’s reliance on paid influence rather than truth to maintain Western support.
The investigation by the Responsible Statecraft offers a rare glimpse into how “Israel” is exporting its information war into Western social media ecosystems, spending public funds to drown out Palestinian voices and whitewash atrocities in Gaza.
Why the US is so open about its intentions for Lebanese civil war
By Robert Inlakesh | Al Mayadeen | September 30, 2025
The United States is now openly admitting that it is arming the Lebanese military to fight its own people and that it won’t allow Lebanon to defend itself against the Israelis. This is no mistake and is instead part of a clear-cut strategy, designed to plunge the nation into chaos.
Although Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has openly followed orders from his American allies, choosing to pursue the disarmament of Hezbollah without any national defense strategy, a move opposed by the majority of the Lebanese public, it seems that the US is still not impressed.
While some have been duped into believing the policy of pursuing disarmament depends on the willingness of the Lebanese military, this way of reading the current American plot is completely wrong. Disarming Hezbollah is just step one in a much more complex strategy.
Since the ceasefire on November 27, 2024, the Zionist regime has continuously bombarded Lebanese territory, anywhere and at any time. They have committed around 5,000 total violations, continuing to expand their military presence in the south of Lebanon, where the Zionist leadership vows to remain indefinitely.
It is crucial at this stage to ask why, especially since airstrikes, specifically those that kill civilians, only complicate the US-assigned tasks of the Lebanese government, bringing both shame and embarrassment, particularly to Nawaf Salam.
One way of looking at the airstrikes is that the Israelis are seeking to degrade the capabilities of Hezbollah and prevent them from rebuilding following the war. Yet, their strikes are simply not effective enough to make a significant dent in this regard, although they may be hitting some sensitive targets on occasion.
This leaves us with the obvious explanation: the ongoing military assault is part of a war of perception which Hezbollah should behave in a very calculated way to deal with. The Israelis achieve two objectives by carrying out more and more provocative violations of Lebanese sovereignty: they project an image of dominance and attempt to bait Hezbollah into responding.
Some would then ask: Why does Hezbollah not respond? A question sometimes asked rhetorically in order to infer that they are too weak to do so.
The answer is quite simple. Hezbollah has put up a limited military front for almost an entire year in support for Gaza, responding to each Israeli escalation in what it considered a calculated manner. Yet all this merely allowed “Israel” to hatch a plot which harmed not only Hezbollah, but Lebanon as a whole. Despite this, the Zionist regime failed to finish the job, and Hezbollah not only survived but fought a defensive war to a stalemate.
If Hezbollah decides to respond in a limited manner to Israeli aggressions, it would provide the perfect excuse for the occupying entity to launch a large-scale military operation which would significantly damage Lebanon. In return, if Hezbollah does not manage to achieve major and overt military victories in such a confrontation, it would be a devastating blow.
In other words, the next confrontation has to be on a much greater scale than anything seen before, a military campaign in which Hezbollah manages to shock not only the Israelis, but the world, and most importantly, the Lebanese people themselves.
The martyred Secretary General of Hezbollah, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, often spoke of the media war with the Zionist entity, treating it with great seriousness. This was because public perception shapes not only political outcomes, but also the course of battles on the ground through morale.
Prior to September 2024, the stock of Hezbollah was incredibly high. The public perception was that the Resistance was capable of defeating the Israelis by itself. This is why the end of the war and its results, the renewed occupation of Lebanese lands, brought shock. In reality, Hezbollah’s capabilities were never matching those of the Israelis, yet the tenacity of the Lebanese fighter and the Resistance’s planning created such an impression, especially following the 2006 war.
The perception of Hezbollah’s strength made the Israeli terrorist pager attack and assassination strikes against its leadership all the more devastating, because the public believed such attacks to be impossible.
This is something that the US has since weaponised, with figures like US envoy Morgan Ortagus even declaring that Hezbollah is over. This brings us to her fellow American envoy Tom Barrack’s recent interview with Sky News Arabia.
Barrack explicitly asserted that the US is supplying the Lebanese army to fight its own people, even laughing at the idea that this support is intended to confront “Israel”. While some analysts interpreted Barrack’s statements as ill-advised or mistaken, they couldn’t be further from the truth, there is a reason why he speaks with such confidence.
The U.S. Trump administration understands full-well that the Lebanese army is not capable of removing Hezbollah’s weapons by force alone. The Americans and their Israeli allies may be many things, but they are not naive on this issue. They understand that many strings must be pulled if Hezbollah is actually going to suffer a blow which will lead to significant military degradation.
Part of this strategy is to try and publicly humiliate not only Hezbollah, but also the Lebanese State and people as a whole. Meanwhile, the Israelis are performing their part in this plot and are escalating their provocative actions, now implementing tactics such as deliberately carrying out civilian massacres, like the one that occurred in Bint Jbeil recently. Also, they are now attempting to clear portions of southern Lebanon by issuing evacuation orders before bombing civilian buildings.
What the likes of Nawaf Salam don’t appear to understand is that they are totally disposable in this equation. Meaning that there is even a danger he could be assassinated by the Israelis or Americans in order to pin the blame on Hezbollah and its allies.
Right now, the US and “Israel” are plotting against Lebanon. They will seek to carry out actions which will be just as detrimental, if not more, than what we witnessed last September, and they are under no illusions about whether the Lebanese army could simply disarm Hezbollah for them.
The Israelis are openly seeking the so-called “Greater Israel”, as per their Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s own admission earlier this year. A common misconception about the “Greater Israel Project” is that it would mean occupying Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, parts of Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and even Türkiye, in the same way it did in Palestinian occupied territories.
In fact, the man who first conceived the “Greater Israel” model, Oded Yinon, in his academic article back in 1982, advocated for an Israeli empire, under which the nations of the region would be broken down into sectarian regimes and ethno-states, all of which would be effectively demilitarized and under the de-facto control of the Zionist Entity.
When the Zionist regime occupied southern Lebanon following the 1982 invasion, during which 20,000 people were killed, it relied on the “South Lebanon Army” to carry out its agenda. A similar system was not set up in the occupied West Bank. There, the Zionists instead injected their population to build illegal settlements and Judaize the area, while collaborators managed the territory under Israeli rule.
Similarly, in Syria, the Zionists are not necessarily interested in settling Daraa, for instance, they would much rather demilitarize the entire south, except the collaborator regime they hope to implement in Sweida. Officials in Tel Aviv have also made it clear that they will never tolerate the rebuilding of the Syrian Arab Army; they will only allow a military force comparable to that of Lebanon.
All of this is to say that there is a psychological war being waged on the people of Lebanon and region at large. Hezbollah is still very much militarily capable of taking the fight to the Israelis, but how they do it is of great importance. We know well that the Resistance still possesses considerable capabilities, because we witnessed newly revealed weapons right up until the final days of the war, many of them in clear abundance.
One mistake that the US may be making, however, is that all its rhetoric about Hezbollah could well backfire.
The Republican–Israel love affair hits a generational rift
By José Niño | The Cradle | September 29, 2025
The sniper’s bullet that silenced Charlie Kirk on 10 September at Utah Valley University did more than end the life of America’s most prominent conservative youth activist. It ignited a firestorm of theories that illuminated the deepest fractures within the Republican Party since the Cold War. Within hours, social media exploded with speculation that Israel’s Mossad had orchestrated the assassination to neutralize what some saw as a rising threat to Israel’s influence in Washington.
While speculative, the speed and ferocity with which such conspiracy theories spread reveal something profound. Kirk’s assassination has become a symbol of the impossible balancing act facing Republican leaders as younger conservatives shun pro-Zionist sentiments, abandoning Israel in numbers that would have been unthinkable a decade ago.
The unraveling Republican–Israel consensus
Kirk’s assassination was a flashpoint, but the deeper story is in the data. A University of Maryland Critical Issues Poll (29 July–7 August) exposed a dramatic generational schism: While 52 percent of Republicans aged 35 and over sympathize more with Israel, only 24 percent of Republicans aged 18–34 say the same.
The gulf widens when it comes to Gaza. Among older Republicans, 52 percent say Israeli actions in Gaza are justified. Among younger Republicans, only 22 percent agree. “The change taking place among young Republicans is breathtaking,” said Shibley Telhami, the poll’s principal investigator. “While 52 percent of older Republicans (35+) sympathize more with Israel, only 24 percent of younger Republicans (18–34) say the same – fewer than half.”
The shift accelerated dramatically after Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on 7 October 2023. Pew Research Center data shows that unfavorable views of Israel among Republicans under 50 jumped from 35 percent in 2022 to 50 percent in 2025, a remarkable 15-point increase. In contrast, Republicans aged 50 and older moved only marginally, from 19 percent to 23 percent unfavorable.
The University of Maryland poll found that 41 percent of Americans believe Israeli military actions in Gaza constitute either “genocide” or are “akin to genocide,” including 14 percent of Republicans. Notably, the survey discovered that 21 percent of Republicans consider US President Donald Trump’s administration’s policy toward Israel–Palestine “too pro-Israel,” while 57 percent of Republicans said Washington’s support has enabled Israeli war crimes.
Even evangelical Republicans – long Israel’s most fervent base – are shifting. Among older evangelicals, 69 percent express more sympathy with Israel. But that number drops to 32 percent among their younger counterparts. Only 36 percent of younger evangelical Republicans believe Israeli actions in Gaza are justified.
In a sharp rebuke to the bipartisan tradition of unconditional aid, a September 2025 AtlasIntel poll found that just 30 percent of Americans support financial assistance to Israel, showing that Israel’s “blank check” in Washington is increasingly out of step with public opinion. A growing number of Republicans now argue that US policy prioritizes Israeli interests over American ones.
In a similar vein, the University of Maryland poll found that the rise of social media has significantly accelerated this attitudinal shift on Israel while fueling broader support for a more restrained foreign policy approach.
While 32 percent of Republicans aged 35 and older say Fox News is their primary news source, only 12 percent of younger Republicans rely primarily on the news channel. By contrast, nearly half (46 percent) of Republicans aged 18–34 get their primary news from the internet and social media, where resistance narratives and Palestinian voices are far more accessible, despite efforts to censor them. This is compared to 29 percent of older Republicans. This shift matters. Seventy-two percent of Republicans who rely on Fox News support Israel. Among those whose main source is social media, support drops to 35 percent. Conservative youth are consuming a radically different discourse, one that challenges the old dogmas.
Congressional outliers and rising dissent
The conservative grassroots revolt has found limited but vocal expression among Republican elected officials. Three figures stand out as exceptions to the party’s overwhelming pro-Israel consensus: Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Thomas Massie (R-KY), and former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz.
Greene’s evolution has been the most dramatic. In November 2023, she proudly defended her “history of voting to fund Israel’s Iron Dome and other defense systems.” By July 2025, she was describing Israel’s Gaza war as “genocide.” On 28 July, she wrote on X, “It’s the most truthful and easiest thing to say that Oct 7th in Israel was horrific and all hostages must be returned, but so is the genocide, humanitarian crisis, and starvation happening in Gaza.” Greene’s most pointed critique came days later, when she questioned American priorities with respect to West Asia foreign policy:
“Are innocent Israeli lives more valuable than innocent Palestinian and Christian lives? And why should America continue funding this?”
“The secular government of nuclear-armed Israel has proven that they are beyond capable of dealing with their enemies and are capable of and are in the process of systematically cleansing them from the land.”
Her criticism intensified through August, when she told One America News Network that “Israel is not hurting, and they’ve already proven that they are more than capable of not only defending themselves, but annihilating their enemies to the point of genocide. And that’s what’s happening in Gaza.”
Massie, the Kentucky libertarian, has been consistent in opposing Israel’s wars. In June 2024, he told a House Rules Committee hearing:
“I don’t want to condone what Israel’s doing. I don’t want to condone the way Netanyahu is waging the campaign against Hamas because I think there are too many civilian casualties. One percent of the civilian population of Gaza is no longer breathing air, no longer on this planet, and we’ve just somehow accepted that that level of civilian casualties – whether it’s two civilians for every enemy combatant is okay, which I do not accept.”
On 30 May 2025, Massie posted on X, “Nothing can justify the number of casualties (tens of thousands of women and children) inflicted by Israel in Gaza. We should end all US military aid to Israel immediately.”
Gaetz’s transformation has been more recent but equally sharp. In October 2017, while he served as representative for Florida’s first congressional district, Gaetz delivered a House floor speech declaring his support for “our friend and ally, Israel,” condemning the UN’s “antisemitism” and “attempts to punish and delegitimize Israel.” In 2025, now hosting The Matt Gaetz Show, he asked, “If Israel is a democracy, when do all the Arabs who live there get to vote?” He has raised concerns about “Jewish supremacy” and the state’s treatment of Palestinian Christians.
At the height of the 12-day war in June between Iran and Israel, Gaetz was highly critical of any belligerent action toward Iran and had choice words about Israel’s nuclear program:
“There’s a secret nuclear program in the Middle East – and it’s Israel’s. They won’t allow inspectors, they operate in full secrecy, and everyone in Washington knows it … To drag us into a regime change war over secret nuclear weapons when your ally also has secret nuclear weapons – that’s hypocritical.”
His shift began earlier. In 2020, following the US assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, Gaetz called for restraint. By 2025, his rhetoric had clearly broken with pro-Zionist orthodoxy.
The money firewall
Despite the changing winds, institutional Republican support for Israel remains ironclad, enforced by immense donor pressure. Greene, Massie, and Gaetz represent isolated voices in a caucus that continues to pass pro-Israel legislation by overwhelming margins.
The pro-Israeli lobby group, American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), responded furiously to Greene’s genocide comments, telling The Hill, “Anti-Israel extremists – of the right or the left – will not deter us in our participation in the democratic process to stand with Israel. It is an outrageous betrayal of American values and interests to abandon an ally fighting terrorist aggression.”
AIPAC’s influence remains formidable throughout the Republican caucus. As Massie revealed in a 2024 interview with Tucker Carlson, every Republican member of Congress has a dedicated “AIPAC babysitter” – a lobbyist who is “always talking to you” on behalf of the organization, pushing for pro-Israel votes.
The current skepticism toward Israel among young Republicans represents the culmination of long-standing anti-war sentiments within the American Right. From Pat Buchanan’s opposition to the Persian Gulf War to Ron Paul’s consistent non-interventionism, a minority strain of conservative thought has always questioned foreign entanglements.
This “America First” current experienced a notable resurgence during the Trump era, with figures like Carlson warning against involvement in West Asian conflicts. The Gaza war has provided a focal point for these concerns, particularly among younger conservatives who came of age during the post-9/11 Iraq and Afghanistan wars and became disillusioned by the cost and aimlessness of these conflicts.
Despite a marked shift in sentiment among younger conservatives, many of whom are increasingly skeptical of unconditional support for Israel, pro-Israel money continues to dominate Republican politics. In the 2024 election cycle alone, analysis by Track AIPAC found that pro-Israel groups spent over $230 million to re-elect Donald Trump.
The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) raised more than $18 million, a 50 percent increase from 2020, and spent over $15 million to strengthen Trump’s campaign and support other Republican candidates. The Israeli-American super-donor Miriam Adelson‘s (widow of the late US businessman Sheldon Adelson) Preserve America PAC by itself provided more than $215 million to advance Trump’s presidential bid.
In short, while the conservative base moves one way, the money moves another. For now, the latter still calls the shots.
A conservative youth uprising
The pro-Zionist torrent of funding highlights a harsh reality. Even as the Republican base grows increasingly critical of Israel, the financial influence of pro-Israel donors continues to ensure that party leaders remain firmly aligned with Zionist priorities, often in direct conflict with the wishes of grassroots conservatives. The real test will come as this generation ages into political power. Greene, Massie, and Gaetz may be lone voices today, but they are amplifying a groundswell of dissent that could soon reach critical mass.
Whether this revolt reshapes the Republican party’s stance on Israel or remains smothered by donor-class discipline will determine the next era of Republican politics – and the fate of Tel Aviv’s blank check in Washington.
Hamas: We have not received the US proposal
Palestinian Information Center – September 29, 2025
DOHA – Senior Hamas official Taher an-Nunu denied that the Movement had received any copy of the US proposal to end the war on Gaza.
In press statements on Monday evening, Al-Nunu said, “Hamas was not part of any negotiations concerning the current US plan.”
He clarified that the release of Israeli captives held by the Palestinian resistance is tied to ending the war and the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation from Gaza. He emphasized that the resistance’s weapons are tied to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Al-Nunu affirmed Hamas’s readiness to agree to a multi-year truce and noted that the Movement had accepted Egypt’s proposal to form an independent administration for Gaza.
“We are serious about releasing the captives as part of an agreement that ends the war on Gaza and ensures the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation,” he added.
He confirmed Hamas is ready to coordinate with the Palestinian Authority to form a unity government to manage both Gaza and the West Bank.
He stressed that the Movement does not wish to prolong the war, adding that Hamas is “prepared to consider any proposal that does not conflict with the interests of the Palestinian people.”
He also emphasized that the Palestinian people are not incapable of self-governance and reject any external guardianship.
On Sunday, The Washington Post revealed details of US President Trump’s proposal to end the ongoing genocide in Gaza, which has continued for two years.
According to the paper, the 21-point plan includes an immediate halt to all military operations and freezing of battle lines at their current positions.
Meanwhile, Hamas confirmed it had not received any new proposal from mediators regarding a ceasefire in Gaza.
In a statement, Hamas reiterated its willingness to positively and responsibly consider any proposals from mediators, so long as they safeguard the Palestinian people’s national rights.
Hamas reviews Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan as PIJ rejects
Al Mayadeen | September 30, 2025
Hamas negotiators told mediators they would study the plan “in good faith” and provide a formal response, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Reuters reported that Egypt and Qatar briefed Hamas on United States President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war. Earlier, the White House confirmed that Trump had discussed the ceasefire proposal with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, describing it as a framework supported by “Arab and Islamic leaders.”
At a joint press conference with Netanyahu, Trump said he believed Hamas would eventually approve the proposal, adding that “Doha has taken it upon itself to convince the movement.”
PIJ rejects plan as ‘US-Israeli agreement’
The announcement drew sharp criticism from Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Its Secretary-General, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, dismissed the initiative outright, calling it “nothing but a full American-Israeli agreement.”
Al-Nakhalah stressed that the announcement reflected “the Israeli position in its most precise details” and constituted “a recipe for the continuation of aggression against the Palestinian people.”
He warned that the proposal amounted to “an attempt to impose new realities through the US after the occupation failed to achieve them through successive wars.”
The Islamic Jihad leader further cautioned that the so-called agreement was “a ready-made recipe to ignite the entire region and fuel further conflicts.”
Regional mediation continues
The White House had presented the proposal on Monday evening, saying that if both parties agree to this proposal, the war will end immediately.
Mediation efforts led by Qatar and Egypt remain ongoing, with Hamas yet to issue a formal stance, while the resistance maintains that any deal must address the root causes of the war, including the siege and occupation.
Italy’s Foreign Ministry in revolt over Israel’s ‘war of extermination’ in Gaza
MEMO | September 29, 2025
Around 700 Italian Foreign Ministry employees have written to Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani expressing their “profound ethical and professional discomfort” at working with Israeli authorities while Israel carries out a war of “extermination” of the Palestinian population in Gaza.
The internal four-page letter, reviewed by Haaretz, warns that Italy’s “wait and see attitude” towards Israel’s genocide in Gaza is “incoherent with the country’s Constitution and obligations under international law” and risks making Rome “complicit” in grave violations of international humanitarian law.
“Inertia – or mere rhetoric not followed by concrete actions – exposes us to the risk of complicity with the ongoing grave violations of international humanitarian law and with the genocide that is taking place,” the letter states.
The letter also proposes several urgent measures, including recognition of a Palestinian state, suspension of the EU–Israel Association Agreement to allow for increased tariffs on Israeli goods, and the imposition of an “apartheid tax” on Israel as a form of reparations for Palestinians.
The document further calls on the Italian government to formally warn Israel against offensive actions or threats of force targeting the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian-led mission seeking to break the naval blockade on Gaza.
The strongly worded intervention follows a letter from 34 former ambassadors urging Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to recognise the state of Palestine. It also comes in the wake of Italy’s largest public mobilisation against the genocide in Gaza since its onset, with tens of thousands taking part in a general strike and mass protests across nearly 80 cities.
Last week’s general strike, coordinated by the Unione Sindacale di Base, was described as a response to the “ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip, the blockade of humanitarian aid by the Israeli army, and the threats against the international mission Global Sumud Flotilla.”
Demonstrators clashed with police in Milan while attempting to enter the city’s central railway station, injuring over 50 officers. In Bologna, activists blocked a major intersection and sections of a highway, while in Turin access to the airport was obstructed for several hours. A national demonstration scheduled for 4 October is expected to draw tens of thousands more to the streets of Rome.
The government’s stance has also come under scrutiny for its refusal to follow France, the UK and several other Western governments in unilaterally recognising Palestinian statehood.
Iran security chief backs Saudi-Hezbollah rapprochement from Beirut
The Cradle | September 27, 2025
Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, stated on 27 September that Hezbollah is a “bulwark” against Israeli aggression, rapprochement with Saudi Arabia is to be welcomed, and that the Lebanese people do not need the US as a “guardian.”
Larijani made the statements after arriving in the Lebanese capital on Saturday to attend the anniversary ceremony of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
During a press conference following his meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain al-Tineh, Larijani said Hezbollah “represents a solid barrier against the Israeli entity,” one year after Israel’s devastating war that killed 4,047 Lebanese, including fighters and civilians.
Despite Israel’s air superiority, Hezbollah fighters were able to prevent the invading Israeli forces from moving deep into Lebanese territory.
However, Israeli troops managed to occupy five points on Lebanese territory near the border that they continue to hold.
Since the end of the war, Israel has carried out thousands of airstrikes, including a drone strike on a family traveling by car as they reached their home in Tyre in southern Lebanon earlier this week.
The strike killed Shadi Charara, a car dealer, and three of his daughters. His wife and one of his daughters survived the strike. A man riding a motorcycle nearby was also killed.
“The resistance represents a significant asset for the Islamic nation,” Larijani stated, while praising Nasrallah for recognizing the danger posed by Israel decades ago and developing plans to confront it.
Larijani pointed out that Iran wants countries in the region to cooperate with each other in the face of the Israeli threat, despite previous disagreements. “They must put these aside and make cooperation the basis of their relations.”
As a result, he praised Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem’s efforts to improve relations with Saudi Arabia.
“Saudi Arabia is a sister country to us, and there are ongoing consultations between us. Today is a day of cooperation in confronting a single enemy,” Larijani stressed.
Regarding the deep US influence in the country, Larijani stated that, “The Lebanese people are rational and do not need a guardian, nor do they need the Americans to appoint themselves as their guardians.”
He also addressed US Special Envoy Tom Barrack’s assertion that the US is arming the Lebanese army not to fight against Israel, but to fight Hezbollah.
Larijani said that Barrack is “stirring up discord, sowing division, and causing problems within the country and among its citizens, while the approach adopted by Iran is based on Lebanese officials addressing their internal issues through consensus.”
Regarding Israeli threats, he stressed that Iran is prepared for another war with Israel, but warned that it would be “stupidity” for Israel to launch such a war and that Iran’s response would be severe.
In June, Israel launched an unprovoked war against Iran, killing at least 935 people and targeting the Islamic Republic’s air defense and nuclear sites. Iran responded by hitting Israel with barrages of ballistic missiles and drone strikes.
After meeting with Speaker Berri, Larijani then headed to the Government Palace, where he met with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.
The two reviewed the latest developments in the region and bilateral relations between the two countries.
Salam emphasized that Lebanese-Iranian relations “must be based on mutual respect for each party’s sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs.”
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From the Archives
Fourteen Incredible Facts About 9/11
By Kevin Ryan | Dig Within | August 8, 2015
… What is known about 9/11 is that there are many incredible facts that continue to be ignored by the government and the mainstream media. Here are fourteen.
- An outline of what was to become the 9/11 Commission Report was produced before the investigation began. The outline was kept secret from the Commission’s staff and appears to have determined the outcome of the investigation.
- The 9/11 Commission claimed sixty-three (63) times in its Report that it could find “no evidence” related to important aspects of the crimes.
- One person, Shayna Steiger, issued 12 visas to the alleged hijackers in Saudi Arabia. Steiger issued some of the visas without interviewing the applicants and fought with another employee at the embassy who tried to prevent her lax approach.
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